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The Siren’s Song Tavern, Old Town Eureka’s only all-ages live music and entertainment venue, which doubles as a bar serving craft beers and ciders, finds itself in turbulent waters after learning that its lease will not be renewed.

Reached via phone, owner Liza Sibley said she’s actively searching for a new location while trying to negotiate for more time in the current spot, at 325 Second Street. 

“We’re trying to stay in Old Town or downtown,” Sibley said. 

When she was first informed that the lease wouldn’t be renewed, Sibley was told that she needed to have everything cleared out of the brick-and-mortar storefront by January 1, she said, though that date has since been moved to January 15. She believes that the business’s current three-year lease doesn’t actually expire until the end of April 2025 but said a miscommunication with the rental management agency led to the short eviction notice. So far she’s been unable to get the landlord or the rental agency to agree to a later move-out date. 

The Siren’s Song is located on the ground floor of the 116-year-old Healy Brothers Building, a Eureka historic landmark that formerly housed such fondly remembered businesses as Lazio’s Restaurant and the Old Town Bar and Grill. 

The three-story building was slated for demolition after suffering extensive damage in the large earthquake that struck Eureka on Jan. 9, 2010, but local developer Kurt Kramer agreed to purchase it, and after extensive renovations, including a seismic retrofit, it reopened almost two and a half years later. 

Reached by phone last week, Kramer was reluctant to discuss the reasons behind the decision not to renew Siren’s Song lease, except to say that there have been “operational issues” that proved too difficult to resolve.

“We’re in the business of renting places, so we very rarely want to see tenants leave,” he said. “But if they’re not behaving and operating properly, we just move on. We just can’t do it.”

Kramer said he does not yet have a new tenant lined up for the space.

Sibley, meanwhile, said she’s had a couple of leads on possible spots to relocate but nothing lined up just yet. The business launched a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of raising enough to cover relocation expenses and, ideally, improvements. In the week or so since the campaign launched, however, it has raised just a fraction of the target amount.

Sibley took ownership of the business in May of 2022, purchasing it from former owner JD Pegg, who clashed with public health officials during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For Sibley, the most valuable thing about The Siren’s Song is its service as a venue for live entertainment at a time when such spots seem to be disappearing. Humboldt County has a small number of all-ages venues, in particular, she said.

”Savage Henry [Comedy Club] has some music,” she said. “Arcata has Outer Space, but they have no alcohol. … A lot of venues have closed since I became involved.”

The Siren’s Song hosts open mic nights and a wide variety of bands, including metal, punk, indie rock and more. “I’ve tried not to pigeonhole it,” Sibley said. In a sense, the draft beers and cider are secondary to the value of the performance space.

“If I have to move I want to, because I don’t think Humboldt can afford to lose another music venue,” Sibley said. “The alcohol sales is how we make our money to stay open, but I do primarily think of it as a music venue.”

The Siren’s Song will remain open at least through New Year’s Eve, when local band Image Pit will perform as part of a benefit show for the business. Sibley said she appreciates any support the community can provide.

“Even if you show support by coming to shows or buying a drink, everything is appreciated,” she said. “We’re doing our best to stay open as long as we can and, if we find a place, to make [the transition] as seamless as possible.”